HBCUs vs. PWIs: Is There a Wrong Choice for Black Students?

What happens when 3 native Houstonians get together for a discussion of all things Beyoncé? In this episode Courtney St. Julian and Brendon Bailey join the podcast to discuss what made them fans, the haters and the hive, and why your fave could never.

Do we own our bodies in the same way that we own our possessions? Does this ownership give us autonomy, or the ability to freely commodify ourselves and our bodies products? How has the Dobbs decision changed the ability for all persons to possess and control their bodies? In this episode Professor Meghan Boone of Wake Forest Law will join us to discuss bodily autonomy and whether it create a market for bodies.

The common refrain is that if the poor would simply learn financial responsibility and make smarter choices, then they could work their way out of poverty. This is far from reality, yet when those in poverty fall short and are forced into predatory lending, it is often blamed on their lack of personal responsibility. The same sentiment is present when those who take on student loans, once proclaimed as good debt, to advance themselves and find themselves saddled with lifelong burdens. On this episode, Dr. Frederick “Fred” Wherry, the Townsend Martin, Class of 1917 Professor of Sociology at Princeton University, the Director of the Debt Collection Lab (debtcollectionlab.org), and the Founding Director of the Dignity + Debt Network (a partnership between Princeton and the Social Science Research Council: dignityanddebt.org), and Dr. Fenaba Addo, Associate Professor of Public Policy at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill, will join the show to discuss the relationship between debt, income inequality and wealth inequality, and the role our culture plays in the cycle of poverty.

Xochitl Gonzalez is novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and executive producer. She is also the author of the New York Times best-seller Olga Dies Dreaming. The novel is groundbreaking in its representation of Puerto Rican history and culture, and also its presentation of a diverse family and its struggles in the face of gentrification and cultural erasure. In this episode we will discuss the importance of diverse voices, her framework for Olga, and the class issues related to quiet.

In the wake of many public tragedies, the focus is often on those who are armed and their willingness to forgive the perpetrator. This is also true when confronting systemic and societal harm--the marginalized are expected to forgive, forget, and move forward. It seems this practice is rooted in Christian sensibilities--but is it really? On this episode Rev. Stan Williams and Rev. Rob Lee will explore the narratives that admonish those who are victims of systemic harms to forgive, forget, and move forward.

The data proves that diverse doctors save lives, but there has not been much progress made at diversifying medicine. However, there are many doing the work it takes to improve the numbers. In this episode, Kameron Matthews, MD, JD, FAAFP and Chief Health Officer at City Block Health, will provide information on how to get into and get through medical school, details on her non-profit, Tour for Diversity in Medicine (https://linktr.ee/Tour4Diversity), and her vision for equitable and accessible health care in America. Dr, Matthews co-founded the Tour for Diversity in Medicine (www.tour4diversity.org) which seeks to motivate and inspire high school and college students around the nation.

Many of us only think about food safety and our food supply when a foodborne illness is in the headlines. We are often unaware of how various government agencies regulate our food supply or how dietary recommendations are made. For example, how does the government define meat or milk or healthy? How is food inspected when it goes from the farm or the factory to our grocery stores or restaurants? In this episode my guests Emilie Aguirre, Associate Professor of Law at Duke Law, and Tammi Etheridge, Assistant Professor of Law at the Elon University School of Law, join the podcast to discuss the basics of food safety and our food supply.

Dobbs has brought new focus to the Supreme Court. What impact will the new Term have on our rights? There are many cases receiving attention this Term, including those involving affirmative action and voting rights, but what else should we be paying attention to? This week's guests, Alexandra Klein, Assistant Professor at St. Mary's University School of Law, and Brandon Hasbrouck, Associate Professor at Washington and Lee University School of Law, will highlight the cases they're focusing on this Term, and share their predictions about the future of the Supreme Court.

Join my guests Professor Wendy Greene, Professor Marissa Jackson Sow, and Rasheedah Thomas of RC Communications as we discuss the movement to #freethehair and the impact of discrimination against Black hair in the classroom and the workplace. Professor Wendy Greene is a trailblazer in the movement to end hair discrimination. Professor Greene fights for the freedom for all to embrace the natural expression of physical appearance in social, political and corporate arenas in order to ensure all are free from bias based on the body they were born in and the hair they were born with on a global scale. Her groundbreaking work has been the foundation for legislation on hair discrimination across the country and internationally, including the CROWN ACT. Here are some highlights of Professor Greene's work: *Legal expert for California's Creating Respectful and Open Workplaces for Natural Hair Act (C.R.O.W.N. Act) signed into law on July 3, 2019 *Legal Expert, Drafted and submitted an expert declaration on behalf of African American male students seeking a preliminary injunction against the enforcement of a high school grooming policy prohibiting them from wearing locs in Arnold v. Barbers Hill Independent School District, Civil Action No. 4:20-CV-1802 (May 2020) *Co-drafter and Legal Advisor, South Carolina House Bill 4692 introduced in January 2020 which clarifies the definition of race, national origin, and color for the purposes of S.C. statutes prohibiting racial discrimination in workplaces, schools, and public accommodations *Legal Expert and Expert Witness, California's Creating Respectful and Open Workplaces for Natural Hair Act (C.R.O.W.N. Act) signed into law on July 3, 2019 *Legal publications shaped the New York City Commission on Human Rights groundbreaking enforcement guidance issued in February 2019 prohibiting natural hair discrimination in public and private schools, workplaces and public accommodations (which also serves as the primary justification for the NY State C.R.O.W.N. Act signed into law July 2019) *The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s employed her legal arguments in a seminal natural hair discrimination case arising under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act: EEOC v. Catastrophe Management Solutions, Incorporated (2017) *Her published legal definition of race to be employed in anti-discrimination laws was adopted by the Ninth Circuit of Appeals, the C.R.O.W.N Acts of California and New York, and pending state laws in Kentucky, Michigan, and New Jersey as well quoted by the 11th Circuit of Appeals as a legal authority on the social construction of race On this episode we will discuss Professor Greene's contributions, and what she has planned next.

This episode of our Entrepreneurship Series will feature Dawn Dickson, a serial entrepreneur and inventor with over 20 years of experience in technology and business development. She has founded six successful cash flow positive companies since 2001, including Flat Out of Heels (2011) and PopCom (2017) and has successfully exited one company (Lifestyle Cafe, 2021). Dawn is the first female founder globally to raise over $1M secure token offering under a Reg CF of the JOBS Act. She is considered to be a pioneer in Web3 and equity crowdfunding. At the helm of multiple cash flow positive businesses, the Ohio-born entrepreneur, inventor, businesswoman, angel investor, and speaker has made history and emerged as a consumer thought leader in her own right. As the C.E.O. and Founder of PopCom, she pioneers the connection between e-commerce and vending machines, continuing a legacy of innovation and invention. “The common thread throughout my career is the belief in using technology to create generational wealth and empower my community,” she explains. “Whether I’m using technology to help people discover events, raise money, or sell products, I’m leveraging the power of technology. Technology is more inclusive now, but I’ve never been intimated by being the only woman or black person in a room. I was always driven to be exceptional and to set an example for those that proceed me, to keep the bar very high.” She started to raise the bar as a child in Columbus, OH. The daughter of entrepreneurs, she moved from one hustle to the next, selling candy, old toys, and lemonade throughout grade school. She valued the experience, and it ultimately informed her path. “The culture of my neighborhood and family was, ‘If you want money, go out there and make it’,” she explains. “That was always me. I wanted my own money, so I found a way to make it.”